I know it's a day late, but yesterday was a snow day, which means uber hard work, because not a lot of employees made it in, so we worked our tails off (I sweat through my clothes - ew!)
But I'm here with my TBT!
Two pieces, because they complement each other; they are oldies, but goodies!.
The first one is The Sorcerer, a small kit by Dimensions that I stitch in 1999. I framed it using a sticky board (I didn't know how bad they were at the time, but hey, it's not like this is an heirloom piece, so I don't mind!) and a frame from Michaels. Oddly, it's a non-glare glass, so it is slightly mottled, but it's nice for taking a a face-on picture.
This piece has hung in every place I've lived since 1999. The apartments, the duplex, the houses, the townhomes. Every single one.
I used all kit materials, and I had fun with the french knots. I remember sitting on the floor pillow that my grandma made for me, in my little efficiency apartment in Houston. I was working my first "adult/real world" job with MD Anderson and spend a lot of time either on my computer with the TWBB, on mIRC, or just sitting on the floor (or in the papasan) stitching. It was a special (if poor ;) ) time.
A couple of years later, I saw the Sorceress kit at Michaels, too, and decided to finish it as a companion piece for the Sorcerer. It has always hung above/below/besides the Sorcerer, though I was bummed that I couldn't find the same frame. I don't feel the need to reframe them to match, though.
Unfortunately, it's nice and shiny glass, so harder to get a direct picture of. I used all kit materials again, and she was finished 3/6/2001, after I started keeping a diary for my cross stitch pieces. By this time, I was still at MD Anderson, but in a nicer apartment with an actual hand-me-down couch! I actually used my floss storage system for end tables.
As a total aside, I was crazy jealous of the framing (SoCal) Debbie did of the finished pieces last year that she was giving to a friend.
So that's this week's TBT.
Here's a shot of what I was driving through to get to work yesterday - it's a lot better now (except for the ice), but a lot of trees are still snapping and coming down. I hope my friends get power back today. I'm in North Carolina - I'm not supposed to be dealing with this! (if the state of the foliage is any indication, we shouldn't have to deal with this very often!) I'm looking forward to tomorrow - no matter what the state of the roads or weather, I don't have to go anywhere if I don't want to!
Love your pair of older finishes! I remember seeing these on Debbie's blog last year, her frame was stunning but I also like the simplicity of yours. Hope the weather warms up for you soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks! The two smaller pieces are also easier to find homes for, I suspect.
DeleteIt's not going to break freezing tomorrow, but be in the 70s on Wednesday. That's just crazy.
Great pairing. I think not having the same frames would drive me nuts as that's one of my few ocd things. But they look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIt definitely helps that these pieces are in the guest bedroom! haha!
DeleteLove the pairing and the story that goes with it. I believe everything we cross stitch has a story and yours is an excellent example <3
ReplyDelete...but North Carolina for that kind of snow? The world has gone topsy turvy!
I know? Right! I hadn't snowed like this since the 1st or 2nd year I was here.
DeleteOne of my (local) friends has been joking that she hasn't seen so many consistently bad winters since I moved here, so it's clearly all my fault ;)
One of the reasons I chose to move here was that it wasn't so far north that I would have to worry about consistently bad winters, but.....
Love the pair. Great stories behind them too. I was supposed to be in Raleigh last week but got sent to Washington at the last minute. Given the weather there (and here at home), I'm not sure I would have made it home yesterday.
ReplyDeleteBetween the unforecast snow on Tuesday and the actual snow on Thursday/freezing-Friday, it's definitely a good thing you weren't down here!
DeleteThese are a great pair of finishes. It's lovely that looking at them brings back the memories of where you were living when you stitched them.
ReplyDeleteI do love how powerful some of my cross stitches feel - I can remember not just what was going on but how I felt over all. It makes all of my completed finishes very special to me.
DeleteI loved those designs when I saw how Debbie framed them, but yours are really pretty too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks!
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